John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies :: Harvard University

We launched Middle East Strategy at Harvard (MESH) on December 7, 2007. At the time, we wrote: “We believe that each of our members, at some point, will have something to say that’s best said here. Our task is to show them those opportunities, and to exercise just enough editorial judgment to make sure the site works for them and for you.” Two years later, we think it’s fair to say that MESH has made a mark. Its name is well-known and well-regarded by thousands of influential readers around the globe.

We always conceived of MESH as an experiment. We now think it is time to revisit the format, mobilize new resources, and expand the circle of participants. This will take time and effort. Rather than invest both in perpetuating the existing format, we have decided to put MESH in hibernation, until such time as we arrive at a new formula. As we reconfigure the platform, we urge our readers to contact us with their suggestions.

The rich archive of MESH’s posts and comments (over 700 in number) remains fully accessible. (The best way to search it is via Google from the sidebar. Download a pdf file of the entire blog here.) And if you want to be sure not to miss a future relaunch, subscribe to MESH via one of the options on the sidebar.

We would like to thank the members of MESH, past and present, for their contributions over the past two years. MESH has never offered its members a cent of compensation: their posts and comments came to us as gifts, offered in pure delight at the prospect of intellectual challenge and exchange. On two occasions, we made our virtual community real, with symposia at Harvard. We owe a large debt to Ann Townes, who performed all the many tasks that made these symposia possible and who, beyond that, expertly and cheerfully handled the many administrative chores related to our operations. We are also grateful to Steven Bloomfield, the executive director of the Weatherhead Center (our sponsor), who has always been a pillar of support for our far-fetched ideas.